It’s been hard to watch the news lately, so when I was thinking about what I wanted to write about this week, I decided I wanted to tell a story with a happy ending.
Last year, my dad passed away. (Don’t worry, despite the way it starts, this is a happy story!) He was 89 years old, and he lived on a ranch in Oklahoma. Part of his daily routine entailed taking care of a whole slew of dogs and cats, as well as eight horses.
Yesterday was Father’s Day, which got me to thinking about my stepdad, Jim. We got stuck with each other when I was in eighth grade, and I often tell people how grateful I am that he didn’t smother me with a pillow. (I mean, come on, you were all eighth graders once; you know what I’m talking about here.) Not only did he not smother … Continue reading An Author’s Father Comes Around—Eventually
What happens to old books that nobody wants to read anymore? If they’re lucky, they get turned into works of art. Continue reading For the Love of Books
I’m going to keep this short and sweet this week, because my mind is on the task ahead of me: Book Two Revisions. (Dun, dun, DUNNNNN!!!) (That’s a dramatic musical vamp in case my attempted onomatopoeia wasn’t clear.) Continue reading “Writer’s retreat? Yes, please!”
Happy Book Birthday to Terror in Taffeta, the newest release from Chicks on the Case! The first in a series, Terror in Taffeta is about a destination wedding planner who has to investigate when one of the bridesmaids falls dead into a flower arrangement right in the middle of a ceremony. Read on to learn more! Terror in Taffeta by Marla Cooper From Minotaur Books Kelsey … Continue reading Introducing Terror in Taffeta
Today’s the day! Terror in Taffeta is now officially a real book. You’d think a girl would get a break, but I went straight from finishing Book Two to publicizing Book One, and during the last couple of weeks I’ve been writing blog post after blog post to spread the word. With each post, I found myself thinking, I wish I could share this on Chicks. So you know what? That’s exactly what I’m going to do!
I have an amazing collection of rare and antique books that any book collector would covet, and it’s literally invaluable—in that it has no value whatsoever, except in the currencies of aesthetics or entertainment. Continue reading “The Virtual Antiquarian”
Over the weekend, my husband and I were taking a hike, and he told me about a podcast he’d been listening to. In it, a Broadway actor named David Costabile—who also played Gale Boetticher on Breaking Bad—told a story about auditioning at the Schubert Theatre, which was the first Broadway theatre he’d ever been in. He walked out on stage and said, “Listen, before I get started, … Continue reading T Minus Two Months to Terror in Taffeta
Some authors write with a playlist blaring in the background. Others prefer a monastic cone of silence. Is it earbuds or earplugs for the Chicks? And if it’s the former, what’s the soundtrack to their writing success? Continue reading “Silence, or Singing? What We Listen To When We Write”
As the year winds down, awards season heats up. And since I’ve yet to be approached about becoming a member of the Academy—nor have I ever voted in the People’s Choice Awards, despite my being clearly qualified as a Person—I’ve created my own awards. Herewith, the Cooper’s Choice Awards. The envelope, please….
There’s plenty of good advice out there about how to succeed at NaNoWriMo. Here’s your handy guide to how it could all go down if you’re not careful. Continue reading How Not To Win NaNoWriMo
So, a funny thing happens when you start a blog. Well, several funny things happen, but one of them is spam comments. After we’d been doing this a few weeks, I noticed that WordPress had been sequestering them in their own special spam folder, so I decided to take a look to make sure none of our readers’ comments had been put there by mistake. Continue reading “Spam-o-Rama: Our non-readers speak!”
Chicks on the Case 